The snow had stopped.
The ground was covered in thick snow.
The Jiang family returned home to freshen up and rest briefly before heading to the Dong family's house.
This was a big event.
Jiang Feng was the eldest son of the Jiang family.
Normally, he should have been the first to get married.
Unexpectedly, Yu'er had married first.
But this was also good, as they could now bring along their in-law Meng Qingshe to help with the proposal.
Jiang Changtian had also invited Inspector He. Inspector He was known for his upright character and was considered quite a unique figure in the capital.
He was one of the few who could criticize the emperor and still remain unscathed.
This showed his extreme intelligence - even when he criticized, he likely hit the emperor's sore spots.
On this rare day off, Inspector He had originally planned to stay home with his wife.
He didn't enjoy socializing, especially since learning that the He family might face execution of nine generations. He disliked interacting with others.
Every day he pondered how to change his family's fate, while also summoning his nephew daily for lectures.
This morning, he had again been scolding his nephew at home: "Jiang Feng is about to get married, what about you? Why are you hiding at home? Do you have any prospects?"
After ranting all morning, he felt refreshed.
In the afternoon, he came to help with the proposal.
The formal proposal process required bringing a pair of wild geese and thirty auspicious gifts for the bride's family, which could include rice, millet, red dates, peanuts, and so on.
For officials, there were strict regulations based on rank.
Those of the fourth rank and above could have eighteen trays of betrothal gifts.
Fifth rank and below could only have sixteen trays.
Eighth rank and below were limited to fourteen trays.
Those without official positions were restricted to twelve trays.
So some wealthy individuals would make each tray of gifts as large as a carriage, due to the quantity limitations.
Commoners watching the spectacle could count the number of trays to roughly gauge the rank of the official getting married.
Of course, the imperial family was a different matter. They could have eighteen trays, eighty trays, or even one hundred and twenty trays.
As many as they liked, though generally it wouldn't be that extravagant. There was still a sense of propriety - for example, people would remember how many trays the emperor had when marrying the empress, and those below wouldn't exceed that.
If someone insisted on being ostentatious, that was their choice.
But most people wouldn't make such a mistake.
Although they were proposing to the family of a minister, Vice Minister Liu had only prepared twelve trays of betrothal gifts.
Twelve trays seemed like a lot, but in reality, there wasn't much of value.
Liu Tong was the youngest son and not the family heir, so the Liu family hadn't given him many resources, hoping he would marry someone with a large dowry.
Since his son held no official rank, they had to follow the regulations for commoners.
The Jiang family, on the other hand - although Qin Luoxia loved money, she wasn't stingy when it came to spending it.
When it was time to spend, she was always generous.
They had originally prepared sixteen trays of betrothal gifts, each tray filled with solid, valuable items.
After all, the bride's father was a high-ranking official who had raised his daughter well. She appeared to be exceptionally well-educated. Raising a child to adulthood incurs countless expenses. It was like their own daughter Yu'er - when they were poor, they had no choice, but once their circumstances improved, Qin Luoxia did everything possible to give her daughter a good life, broaden her horizons, and spare no expense to avoid any hardship.
If a girl starts to suffer hardships in her parents' home, won't she face a lifetime of hardship after marriage?
Putting themselves in the other family's shoes, they had raised their daughter so well, and now she was marrying into their family. Money was just an external thing - if preparing more could put the bride's parents at ease, why not do so?
Most parents who cherish their daughters would take the betrothal gifts and include them in their daughter's dowry, adding even more items.
It was like transferring the gifts, circulating them to showcase the groom's determination to marry. If one wasn't enthusiastic about this, how could they be expected to treat the daughter well in the future?
Qin Luoxia was very generous in preparing the betrothal gifts for her eldest son.
When a family is harmonious, all goes well. As long as the couple gets along, money isn't important.
Besides, you can't take it with you when you're born or when you die, so there's no use hoarding it. Better to spend it generously.
Shops, estates, jewelry, silk fabrics, along with many corals, agarwood, gemstones, and jade sent by Princess Huiyun.
Sixteen trays were far from enough, so they added four more, making it twenty trays in total.
Then they invited General Meng Qingshe and Inspector He to act as matchmakers, specially obtained a marriage compatibility certificate from Tai'a Temple, along with a betrothal letter. Jiang Changtian personally accompanied his son.
Jiang Changtian, Meng Qingshe, and Inspector He all rode in the carriage.
Meng Qingshe felt extremely uneasy facing Inspector He. He had been quite active recently, but seeing Inspector He now made him anxious.
He sighed inwardly again, thinking that his in-laws were truly honest people without ulterior motives, actually befriending Inspector He, whose nickname was "He Nine Clans."
Aunt Yin, always ready to help, came along as well.
Aunt Yin had no choice; she felt that continuing like this, she couldn't predict what situations she might encounter in the future.
She was now completely unflappable, fearing nothing even if a mountain fell on her. She figured that even if she returned to live in the palace someday, she'd probably maintain her composure.
The groom-to-be, since he needed to make an appearance, rode on horseback.
They had specially chosen a majestic white horse, and Jiang Feng had also dressed up carefully.
His clothes were naturally luxurious, though unfortunately, the uniform for the imperial guards hadn't arrived yet. Qin Luoxia thought he would look even more handsome in official attire.
Wearing official clothes indicated one's status.
However, on a day off, it wasn't appropriate to wear official attire.
Of course, even without wearing it directly, people had many ways to express their rank.
Hats, sedan chairs, shoes, accessories, or the number of servants - all had subtle distinctions and implications.
Today, Jiang Feng wore a light brown robe, which looked steady but not too somber.
The collar and cuffs were dark brown. His features were quite advantageous, with his father's foundation and his mother's facial features. Resembling his mother's face, though not quite as stunningly beautiful, he gave people a sense of reliability and honesty at first glance.
He was a young man with a pleasant smile, without an overly aggressive aura.
Jiang Changtian's face was always carefully controlled. If he let loose, no one could withstand it - he'd be devastatingly charming.
Today was a proposal, one of life's great joys.
A fine horse, new clothes, new shoes, a new appearance.
The snow was also nice, pristine, symbolizing the start of a new chapter in life.
Just as Minister Dong and Vice Minister Liu's families were awkwardly facing each other at the entrance,
An even more magnificent proposal procession arrived.
Judging by the carriage's markings and standards, it was an Imperial Secretary of the fourth rank.
An Imperial Secretary was considered half a rank higher than an ordinary vice minister.
After all, they were close attendants to the emperor.
Looking at the opposing side's impressive display, not only did they have more betrothal gifts - daring to bring out twenty trays - but each tray also looked heavy and substantial, larger and more bountiful. They even had over twenty musicians playing various instruments.
This was also regulated.
Officials with rank were allowed a maximum of six lantern bearers and twelve musicians when proposing marriage and presenting gifts.
Those without rank or commoners were limited to four lantern bearers and eight musicians.
There were no restrictions for the imperial family and nobility.
Officials were the privileged class, while the imperial family and nobility were the privileged among the privileged.
Seeing this grand proposal procession made Vice Minister Liu's group look shabby in comparison.
Especially Jiang Feng on horseback, who was the center of attention. He wore a formal hat, had a sword at his waist, and sat astride a white horse. With his tall, straight posture and handsome face, people couldn't help but praise him as a fine young man at first sight.
This instantly reduced the timid Liu Tong to insignificance by comparison.
Liu Tong had met Jiang Feng years ago in Jingzhou. He felt somewhat embarrassed, recalling how he had once vowed to marry Qingqing at the Jiang family home. It was also in search of Qingqing that he had found the Jiang family.
Then, for some unknown reason, they suddenly experienced an earthquake, and his group fled in a hurry without saying goodbye.
The carriage stopped, and Vice Minister Jiang alighted, followed by General Meng Qingshe, and then Inspector He.
Vice Minister Liu was a bit dumbfounded. This Jiang fellow bringing along Meng Qingshe was understandable as they were in-laws, but how on earth had he managed to invite Inspector He? Inspector He wouldn't even give face to Prime Minister Lu.
But then his heart leapt with joy. The scale of these betrothal gifts and the number of people in the proposal party clearly didn't match their rank. This was another point he could use against them, even dragging Inspector He into it.
The court had very clear punishments for violating rank protocols, as it was considered insubordination. Public flogging was very humiliating.
Most people wouldn't dare to violate these rules lightly. This Vice Minister Jiang truly didn't understand the rules - he was full of vulnerabilities from head to toe.
Minister Dong was originally very angry.
He felt that Vice Minister Liu was becoming increasingly unreasonable, unable to control his own son properly while slandering others.
But he also had some doubts. This Liu had been very active recently, clearly having allied himself with Lu Three Corpses. To be so confident, who knew what tricks he was planning.
It was truly worrying. If that were the case, his daughter would be in a terrible situation.
There was still concern that the Jiang family would come to propose marriage and turn away upon seeing this scene.
Although it's said that a good woman is sought after by a hundred families, it's truly rare to encounter two marriage proposals at once.
On a snowy day, there usually weren't many onlookers, but because today's proposal procession was so grand and the young man proposing was so handsome, a crowd gathered to watch, following all the way to the Dong residence.
Wow, it was truly lively, as there was already one proposal procession present.
Jiang Feng had been anxious on the way, but upon arriving, he calmed down.
Come on, charge forward!
He dismounted and walked up to Minister Dong, confidently paying his respects.
"Jiang Feng pays his respects to Uncle Dong."
It was Minister Dong's first time meeting Jiang Feng. Although he was satisfied with Imperial Secretary Jiang and believed the child couldn't be bad, seeing him in person, especially in comparison to the timid Liu Tong beside him, he was immediately more than pleased. He liked him – not only was he handsome, but his eyes showed righteousness and determination. He looked both intelligent and kind.
Meanwhile, Dong E stood behind her father. Seeing her lifesaver arrive, she went from wanting to stab Liu Tong out of anger to feeling so happy she could cry.
She stepped forward gracefully to pay her respects.
"E pays her respects to Brother Jiang. Thank you for saving my life, and for keeping your promise."
Jiang Feng took the fat-headed fish jade pendant from his person and returned it to Miss Dong.
"Miss Dong, please guide me for the rest of our lives."
...
